Secondary abdominal appendicular ectopic pregnancy

Advanced abdominal pregnancy complicated by pelvic inflammatory disease: A compelling case report

This case report discusses the rare and complex occurrence of an advanced abdominal pregnancy in a 36-year-old multiparous woman at 26 weeks of gestation, compounded by chronic pelvic inflammatory disease and Fitz-Hugh-Curtis syndrome. The patient was presented with severe symptoms, including abdominal pain, fever, chills, constipation, and vaginal spotting, leading to her hospital admission. Diagnosis was challenging due to the advanced stage of the pregnancy and its abdominal location, particularly in the Douglas pouch, as detected through ultrasonography. According to anatomical standards, this is an intraperitoneal pregnancy rather than an intra-abdominal pregnancy because the fetus developed in the peritoneal cavity. This case is significant for illustrating the critical need for high clinical suspicion and skilled sonographic evaluation to identify such advanced abdominal pregnancies. The successful management of this case through laparotomy, despite the complexities of concurrent conditions, emphasizes the possibility of safe placental removal without increased hemorrhage risk. This report highlights the importance of awareness and expertise in handling rare presentations of ectopic pregnancies, underscoring the potential for positive outcomes with appropriate surgical intervention.

Laparotomy for Advanced Abdominal Ectopic Pregnancy

Background

Abdominal pregnancy is the rarest and the most serious type of extrauterine pregnancy. The mainstay of treatment for advanced abdominal pregnancy is surgery. The fetus can be delivered easily, and there are two options for the management of the placenta: removal of the placenta and leave the placenta in situ. Case Presentation. This is a 26-year-old primigravida lady who does not recall her first day of last normal menstrual period (LNMP) but claimed to be amenorrhic for the past 9 months. She had antenatal care (ANC) follow-up at a private hospital and had obstetric ultrasound two times and told that the pregnancy was normal. Currently, she presented with absent fetal movement of one week and vaginal bleeding of 3 days duration. She had history of abdominal pain with fetal movement before one week. Upon examination, the abdomen was 34 weeks sized, with easily palpable fetal parts; fetal heartbeat was negative, with mild abdominal tenderness. The cervix was closed and uneffaced. She was investigated with ultrasound which reveals 3^rd trimester abdominal ectopic pregnancy with negative fetal heartbeat. Laparotomy was done to deliver a 2000 gm female stillborn with GIII maceration from the peritoneal cavity. Placenta was removed after releasing adhesion from the bowel and omentum. She had smooth postoperative course and discharged on her 5^th postoperative day.

Conclusion

Abdominal ectopic pregnancy could be missed despite having repeated ultrasound scanning and may continue to third trimester. High index of suspicion and correlation of patient's sign and symptom is very important to make early diagnosis.

Rectal ectopic pregnancy: A case report

RATIONALE

Abdominal ectopic pregnancy is a very rare form of ectopic pregnancy, yet is associated with higher morbidity due to atypical clinical presentation and misdiagnosis. In this report, we present a case of abdominal ectopic pregnancy with placenta invading to the rectal wall.

PATIENT CONCERNS

A 32-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital with an increasing serum ß-hCG level after diagnostic laparoscopy for ectopic pregnancy in the provincial hospital. During the laparoscopy, no gestational sac was found. She was discharged and scheduled for a follow-up visit to assess the level of ß-hCG. One week later, her serum ß-hCG level increased from 7000 IU/l to 12000 IU/l. Transvaginal Doppler ultrasound and abdominal computed tomography (CT) angiography demonstrated a right adnexal mass adherent to the rectal wall.

DIAGNOSIS

A rectal ectopic pregnancy is suspected.

INTERVENTIONS

Laparoscopic surgery was successfully performed in our hospital to remove the products of conception.

OUTCOMES

Histologic examination confirmed the diagnosis of a rectal ectopic pregnancy. The patient had an uneventful recovery and was discharged the next few days.

LESSONS

This case report reveals that an abdominal pregnancy is remarkably difficult to diagnose and manage. The gynecologists need to be aware of the possibility of gestational sac between the uterus and the rectum. To make early diagnosis of abdominal pregnancy, they need to combine clinical findings, imaging techniques (ultrasound, CT, MRI) and serial human chorionic gonadotropin measurements. Laparoscopic management should be considered in early abdominal pregnancy. A multidisciplinary team of gynecologists and gastrointestinal surgeons is required to deal with rectal ectopic pregnancy.

Successful Management of Abdominal Pregnancy: Two Case Reports

Abdominal pregnancy is a rare, life-threatening condition defined as pregnancy in the peritoneal cavity exclusive of tubal, ovarian, or intraligamentary locations. It can be primarily located in the peritoneal cavity or secondary to a ruptured ectopic pregnancy or tubal abortion. We present two cases of abdominal pregnancy, one primary and another secondary, both diagnosed and successfully managed in our institution. The first patient, a para 2 at 14 weeks gestation, presented with abdominal pain, distension, and dizziness, which had started four days prior. The initial radiological scan reported an intrauterine pregnancy with ascites, but a bedside ultrasound revealed an empty uterus and a viable pregnancy located in the Pouch of Douglas (POD). This was a secondary abdominal pregnancy managed successfully by laparotomy. The second patient, a para 3 + 4 miscarriages with seven weeks amenorrhea was admitted with an initial diagnosis of pregnancy of unknown location. She had a beta human chorionic gonadotropin level of 14 444 mIU/mL. Diagnostic laparoscopy revealed a hemoperitoneum, bulky uterus, normal looking right and left adnexa, and a dense irregular bleeding tissue of around 3 × 4 cm firmly attached to the POD. The histopathology report of the tissue retrieved from the POD confirmed products of conception. This case report supports the importance of awareness and high clinical suspicion for such a life-threatening condition to avoid maternal morbidity and mortality. To the best of our knowledge, no previous cases of abdominal pregnancy have been reported in the UAE to date.

Ectopic pregnancy not within the (distal) fallopian tube: etiology, diagnosis, and treatment

Ectopic pregnancy is a very common diagnosis (2% of pregnancies), and implantation location varies. Although 97% of ectopics are implanted within the fallopian tube, associated with commonly recognized risk factors, ectopic implantation can occur in other pelvic and abdominal locations that may not have such predisposing risk factors. After an extensive review of the literature, along with the author's personal experience, implantation frequency, etiologic possibilities, and treatment options for each ectopic pregnancy location are presented. When ectopic pregnancy is diagnosed early, before rupture, regardless of location, conservative, fertility-sparing treatment options can be successful in terminating the pregnancy. Predisposing risk factors and treatment options can vary and can be ectopic-location specific.

Surgical treatment of ectopic pregnancy

Ectopic pregnancy remains the leading cause of death in the first trimester of pregnancy. Today, serial serum hCG measurements and transvaginal ultrasound examination can provide early detection of most ectopic pregnancies allowing medical treatment with methotrexate. In those who require surgery, the type of procedure depends on the clinical situation and the location of the pregnancy. Most of the cases can and should be performed by laparoscopy. Compared with laparotomy, the laparoscopic approach is associated with many advantages including short hospital stay, low cost and less adhesion formation. In addition, hemoperitoneum is not a contraindication for performing laparoscopy. Linear salpingostomy is the procedure of choice when unruptured tubal pregnancy is found in women who want to preserve their fertility; otherwise, salpingectomy is performed. Fertility performance after salpingostomy and salpingectomy is comparable. Similar to the case with tubal ectopic pregnancy in general, women with non-tubal ectopic pregnancy such as cervical, interstitial, or Caesarean scar pregnancy should be first treated medically with methotrexate. These types of ectopic pregnancies may be associated with massive bleeding during surgery. Precautionary procedures should be considered and these include the placement of an angiographic catheter for possible uterine artery embolization. These pregnancies can also be treated laparoscopically.